The Greece Antagonist

The night deepened, and a cool breeze wafted through the valley, while bright bonfires danced joyously in the darkness.

With the addition of fresh ingredients and seasonings, more delicious food was quickly grilled to perfection, and the gods feasted to their hearts' content.

And Luo En, the God of Wine, also took the opportunity to bring out his newly brewed grape wine, sharing it with the two Chief Gods and the surrounding Nymphs and Muses.

To this newfangled drink named "wine," Apollo initially showed disdain, but with the strong recommendation of his sister, Artemis, he could not pull a face in public, and could only reluctantly take a few sips.

After a few glasses, the sweet and robust taste, along with the delightful sensation of slight intoxication, caused the God of Light to close the mouth that was ready to criticize, and the frequency of his toasting gradually increased.

Though he harbored complaints against a particular eyesore, as a self-proclaimed highbrow God of Art, his taste was still impeccable.

Besides, even if he had a mind to find fault, those Nymphs and Muses with flushed faces from drinking wouldn't heed his advice.

After three rounds and five toasts, the goddesses who tasted the beauty of wine for the first time gradually began to look a bit tipsy, their behavior and attitude becoming more indulgent and unrestrained.

Among them, the most changed were undoubtedly the nine Muse Goddesses, who were always graceful and composed in public.

Under the influence of divine wine, the nine graceful girls let loose, sometimes forming groups of three or two to dance wildly in front of the fire; at other times, they raised their glasses, singing loudly in discordant voices; and sometimes they frolicked and played with the surrounding Nymphs.

For a time, clothes billowed, and glimpses of pale skin peeked alluringly through the drapery of their gowns, creating a rather eye-pleasing spectacle.

Luo En leaned against the bonfire, taking great interest in admiring the beautiful scene before him, and with a touch of mischief, handed Atalanta in his arms a cup of his wine.

Amidst the teasing laughter of a certain mischievous deity, the rambunctious little girl, her face flushed red, promptly fell asleep, bringing even more joy to the spectators.

However, amidst the lively and noisy atmosphere, Apollo's face grew increasingly displeased, particularly dissatisfied with the unrestrained behavior of the nine Muse subordinates.

As the God of Art, he staunchly believed that art was refined, aesthetic.

Not reliant on a seductive figure and a beautiful voice to perform flirtatious dances and sing off-key songs, like the wild frolicking and tomfoolery happening before him.

They were, in essence, desecrating the word "art"!

—It was all this guy's fault!

The God of Light cast a look of dissatisfaction at the instigator nearby, his heart filled with displeasure.

Sensing the familiar gaze filled with hostility and disdain directed at him, Luo En laughed it off, continuing to raise his cup and wholeheartedly cheer for the Muses who were dancing around the area.

Art in its earliest form was simply a way for life to entertain itself, with no distinction between highbrow and lowbrow.

Similarly, The Nine Muses, born from art, were not always the stately and graceful ladies they seemed to be now.

Hesychius recorded in "Greek Dictionary" that the Muse Goddesses were once called "frantic" or "stormy" because they were once dominated by Dionysus, the God of Wine, and also served as his companions during his wanderings. As a result, the Muse Goddesses were portrayed as madcap young girls, ready to tear someone to pieces at a moment's notice, akin to an original version of the maenads. Hence, Dionysus, who led the Muse Goddesses in their wild frenzy, was given the title Musagetes, meaning "Leader of the Muses."

Later, the Muse Goddesses needed to be reformed, and were thus governed by Apollo, the God of the Sun and Art, and so the title of Musagetes was passed on to him. Apollo deemed the Muse Goddesses' wild and crude behavior not fitting his refined and cultured demeanor, but the Muses were highly adaptable. Under Apollo's leadership, they became noble in sentiment and graceful in demeanor, much like Apollo himself.

But their nature remained unchanged; they could be provoked, they could surrender to joy induced by external substances,

They were not mere puppets or cultural symbols shaped by others but a group of beautiful, elegant, and lively young artistic goddesses in the secular sense.

Therefore, when Luo En offered them wine and they drank it, these Muses, who had been repressed under Apollo's command for so long, took advantage of their intoxication to reveal their true nature.

And in the midst of pure joy, the wine god, brimming with smiles, was clearly more approachable than the sullen God of Light, always ready to engage in art criticism.

Even so, a daring Muse considered pulling Luo En from his seat to dance with her.

However, seeing the Goddess of the Hunt playing with a sharp arrowhead nearby, her smile subtle, and the God of Light with a face as black as the bottom of a pot, an of sign impending thunderbolt in his brow, the audacious Muse sobered up significantly and hastily retreated in fear.

And so, the road to Ntr was long and arduous.

Luo En, having witnessed everything, mumbled to himself.

"Boom!"

Just as the party's atmosphere was becoming increasingly exuberant, a dull explosion came from the dense forest in the distance, stirring up clouds of dust and black smoke.

Instantly, the chatter at the site ceased abruptly, and the gods tensed up, reflexively revealing their Divine Artifacts and entering a state of alert.

"Don't panic!"

Luo En looked towards the direction of the explosion, waved his hands, and explained in a deep voice.

"It seems my magic traps set up outside have been triggered?"

"?"

The gods looked at the Wine God in astonishment and bewilderment.

Luo En smiled and said, "Remember the Centaurs that ambushed us on the road earlier? I was worried that tonight some strange things might emerge from the mountain to disrupt us, so I set up some magic traps in the outskirts just in case."

Speaking of which, he kind of wanted to complain about the vigilance of these Nymphs and Muses.

Setting up camp without even placing a single sentry or magic trap, if it weren't for their considerable strength and having two Chief Gods backing them up, Arcadia's mountain people and Magic Beasts would've certainly given them a taste of the locals' warm hospitality.

The Centaur tribe that nearly reached the camp just now was the best example.

While it wasn't a serious danger, being harassed all night long would indeed spoil the fun a bit.

However, as Luo En was silently criticizing them in his mind, the Nymphs and Muses seemed to catch another key point from his words, big question marks popping up in their minds.

Some?

"Boom boom boom boom!"

As if to confirm their suspicions, a series of explosions echoed from the distant valley entrance, easily in the hundreds.

Mixed in was the faint sound of a miserable scream.

At this, the Nymphs and Muses' gaze toward the God of Wine in front of them gradually took on a bizarre shade.

At this moment, Luo En, the focus of everyone's attention, pointed towards the smoky valley entrance and kindly reminded,

"That, by the looks of it, it seems to be headed towards us and it's not a wild beast..."

That group of four-legged animals?

Suddenly, the thoughts of the gods turned to this possibility, their faces chilled, they promptly, with the wine still surging through them, grabbed their Divine Artifacts and hurried toward the valley entrance.

Tsk tsk, what can I say, quite pig-headed indeed...

Luo En sighed at the genuine customs of Arcadia while silently mourning for the unlucky fellows who'd stumbled into the line of fire.

And a quarter of an hour later, the Nymphs, skilled in hunting, dragged a strange creature that kept flailing and begging for mercy into the light of the campfire.

"Baa~! Stop a moment! Stop a moment! Don't hit me, I'm going to die if you hit me anymore..."

The creature had a human-like head and torso, Goat's legs, horns, and ears, was holding its head with both hands, issuing a cry similar to a goat's bleating, its fur charred in many places, and its rear had been struck by an arrow, looking rather pitiful.

Seeing the peculiar appearance of the captive under the firelight, Artemis, sitting in front of the fire, was taken aback.

"Pan? Why is it you?"

Pan is the pasture god in Greek mythology, son of Hermes, overseeing shepherding, nature, and the rural wilderness, accompanying the natural Nymphs, belonging to the natural deities of Arcadia.

Legend has it that its existence is quite ancient, having appeared during the era of the Titanomachy, and in Greek mythology, the half-man half-goat Pan symbolizes creativity, music, poetry, and love, as well as being a sign of panic and nightmares.

But this creature is extremely lecherous by nature, often hiding in the bushes, waiting for Nymphs to pass by, then approaching them madly seeking love—an almost habitual delirious pervert—so its reputation among the gods, especially female deities, is not exactly good.

"Lady Artemis?"

At this moment, hearing that somewhat familiar voice, the god Pan in the net almost burst into tears with excitement, hastily explaining,

"I heard that a group of hunters with extraordinary grace arrived in the forests of Arcadia, so I specially came to pay a visit, but accidentally triggered the traps outside and before I could react, I was caught by the Nymphs who came out of the woods..."

As he spoke, the half-man half-goat god Pan glanced at the fierce-looking Nymphs around him and grimaced as he sought Artemis's help.

"My lady, please tell them to stop, if they don't stop I won't have much good skin left..."

Having drunk a little, the group of hunting Nymphs showed no mercy at all, beating and kicking this unknown creature that intruded before the camp, venting their excessively vigorous energy.

Seeing that the visitor was Pan, the son of Hermes, who had once diligently gifted her a pack of hunting dogs, the Goddess of the Hunt was lost whether to laugh or cry, subconsciously raising her hand, wanting to order her Nymph attendants to unleash the net.

"How so? You don't take the main road when you visit?"

At this time, accompanied by a nonchalant teasing voice, Luo En walked forward with a grin, curiously poking Pan's goat horn.

The magic traps he set, of course, could not be plainly placed on the main roads, blocking the entrance and exit of his own side, so they were essentially tucked away in hidden nooks.

Artemis slightly raised her brows, dropped the hand she had lifted, and looked at Pan with a more scrutinizing gaze.

"I wander around the mountains of Arcadia hundreds of times a day, not caring about which are main roads or paths. Besides, I was originally following the torchlight and heading forward normally, but then I heard the beautiful singing of the Muses along the way and got too enchanted, accidentally turning into the woods beside me..."

The god Pan pleaded his case, interlacing it with a few compliments and after recounting the earlier part of his story, he suddenly turned his tone, with an inexplicably aggrieved expression, to complain,

"Who knew that someone had laid out so many magic traps inside, I nearly got blown up at my doorstep."

Planting so many magic traps at someone else's doorstep and almost blowing up the homeowner does seem a bit unsporting, doesn't it?

Instantly, the Nymphs and Muses couldn't help but turn their gaze toward a certain instigator.